By Li Wenhong
李文红
The Ukraine crisis is the result of great power rivalry and a profound manifestation of geopolitical security conflicts in Europe. Combing and analyzing the development process of the Ukraine crisis reveals significant differences in the perceptions of the relations with Russia between the US and Europe, resulting in distinct interests and demands.
乌克兰危机是大国博弈的产物，也是欧洲地缘安全冲突的深刻体现。梳理和分析乌克兰危机的发展过程可以发现美欧双方对俄关系的认知存在着明显的差异，并由此产生了不同的利益诉求。
Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the US has consistently fueled the tense situation. It aims to achieve triple goals through the military conflict. Firstly, to exhaust and weaken Russia; secondly, to keep the US-led NATO alive and prevent it from "brain death"; thirdly, by supplying weapons and equipment to Ukraine, the US military-industrial complex can reap enormous profits.
自俄乌冲突爆发以来，美国持续对紧张局势拱火。它通过俄乌军事冲突试图达到一石三鸟的目的：一是消耗、拖垮俄罗斯；二是给由美国主导的北约续命，确保北约不会“脑死亡”；三是通过向乌克兰提供武器装备，以便美国军工复合体赚取暴利。
It can be said that the US has become the sole winner in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, gaining significant benefits in various aspects including politics, economy, and military. Europe, under the influence of the US, has been consistently providing more military equipment to Ukraine. However, there are notable differences between Europe and the US in terms of their demands and objectives regarding the Russia-Ukraine conflict. As the Russia-Ukraine conflict persists, Europe's energy security has become increasingly fragile, economic challenges have become more serious, and social contradictions have become more complex. More and more Europeans are hoping for a prompt end to the Russia-Ukraine military conflict.
可以说目前美国已成为俄乌冲突中的唯一赢家，在政治、经济与军事等多个方面都收获了巨大的利益。欧洲在美国的裹挟下不断向乌克兰提供更多军事装备，但与美国在对待俄乌军事冲突时的诉求和目的存在着明显的差异。俄乌军事冲突拖至今日，欧洲的能源安全变得越来越脆弱，经济挑战越来越大，社会矛盾变得更加复杂，越来越多的欧洲人希望尽早结束俄乌军事冲突。
The trajectory from the comprehensive escalation of the Ukrainian crisis also reflects the differing demands between the US and Europe.
从乌克兰危机全面升级前后的轨迹也可以看出美欧之间的不同诉求。
Russia is Europe's neighbor that cannot move, and European countries like Germany and France do not wish for the Russia-Ukraine conflict to escalate indefinitely. For instance, around the time of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, Germany attempted to mediate the conflict between the two sides.
俄是欧搬不走的邻居，德法等老牌欧洲国家并不希望俄乌冲突无限升级。如在2022年2月俄罗斯对乌克兰开展特别军事行动前后，德国就曾尝试调停俄乌之间冲突。
In contrast to the conciliatory efforts of European leaders to prevent an escalation, the US government, disregarding the peace efforts of Germany and France, spared no effort in heightening the atmosphere of tension. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, European countries like France and Germany recognized that rebuilding the European security order cannot be achieved without Russia's involvement. Thus, the "old Europe" represented by France and Germany sought to avoid direct confrontation with Russia. However, the US was engrossed in Cold War mentality and great power rivalry, viewing the Russia-Ukraine conflict as an opportunity to contain and weaken Russia. The US continued to supply weaponry to Ukraine and deployed missile launchers in Eastern Europe using anti-Russia sentiment, aiming to profit from the chaos.
不同于欧洲领导人为避免局势激化而作出的缓和行为，美国政府不顾德法等的劝和促谈努力，不遗余力渲染紧张气氛。俄乌军事冲突爆发后，法、德等国欧洲国家意识到重建欧洲安全秩序离不开俄罗斯参与，因此以法德为代表的“老欧洲”国家尽量避免与俄罗斯发生直接冲突。而美国沉迷于冷战思维、大国对抗，将俄乌冲突看作遏制、削弱俄罗斯的良机，持续向乌克兰提供军火，同时利用反俄情绪在东欧部署导弹发射装置，企图从乱局中渔利。
Many Europeans are now beginning to reconsider whether dancing to the American tune aligns with their own interests.
现在不少欧洲人已经开始反思“随美起舞”是否符合本方利益。
In November 2022, Josep Piqué, former Spanish foreign minister, wrote in the country's Diplomacia magazine, highlighting the decisive role played by the US in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. He stated that Europeans should ask themselves some questions. Should they let the Americans decide the course of the conflict? Should their peace and prosperity be subject to American interests or arrogance? Does it make sense for Europe to bear the consequences? In January 2023, Sahra Wagenknecht, a member of the German Bundestag, expressed that the US is far from the battlefield, but the stakes for Europe are extremely high. So they should seek diplomatic solutions.
西班牙前外交大臣何塞普·皮克2022年11月在该国《外交杂志》周刊上撰文指出，在俄乌冲突中，美国起到决定性作用，“我们欧洲人应该扪心自问：是否应该让美国人来决定冲突进程？是否应该让我们的和平与繁荣听命于美国的利益或骄横恣肆？欧洲承担后果是否有意义？”2023年1月，德国联邦议院议员萨拉·瓦根克内希特表示：“美国远离战场，但我们风险极高，我们应该寻求外交解决途径。”
While the Russia-Ukraine conflict temporarily overshadowed certain differences in Europe-US relations, the evolution of the international situation suggests that various contradictions and divergences between them might become more apparent. As for whether the US truly stands as Europe's "ironclad ally," whether its actions align with the positioning of an allied relationship, whether it serves European interests or those of a community of shared values, or whether it primarily serves its own interests, the answers seem self-evident.
俄乌军事冲突在短时间内暂时性地掩盖了欧美关系中的某些分歧，但随着国际局势的演变，美欧之间的各种矛盾和分歧或将显化。美国是否真是欧洲的“铁哥们”，其所作所为是否符合双方盟友关系定位、是否符合欧洲利益、是为价值观共同体利益服务还是为自身利益服务，答案恐怕是不言自明的。
(The author is a professor at the School of German Studies, Beijing Foreign Studies University.)
（作者是北京外国语大学德语学院教授。)
Editor's note: Originally published on huanqiu.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.
